Perry's war

The Washington Post takes a look today at Rick Perry's border security record, and not the one you've heard about in the GOP presidential debates and Mitt Romney mail pieces. This one involves running military-style operations aimed at Mexican gangs and drug cartels:

Alone among his Republican rivals running for president, the Texas governor has a small army at his disposal. Over the past three years, he has deployed it along his southern flank in a secretive, military-style campaign …

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Warning that spillover violence by ruthless Mexican drug smuggling gangs threatens Texas — a claim that some leaders along the border say is sensational hogwash — Perry has made border security a centerpiece of his three terms in office, far more than other Southwest governors.

Although Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) pushed ahead with a law that requires police officers, “when practicable,” to detain people they reasonably suspect are in the country without authorization and to verify their status with federal officials, Perry has focused more on drug trafficking, stolen vehicles and criminal gangs than on chasing illegal immigrants.

Since 2008, with the support of the Republican-dominated Texas legislature and more than $400 million in taxpayer funds, Perry has pressed forward on his own version of a surge — called Operation Border Star — paying millions for equipment, weapons and the overtime salaries for sheriff’s deputies and local police to mount operations aimed at drug seizures and gang members.

Perry's security initiatives have drawn criticism in Texas over their cost and effectiveness. But they'd make a pretty good story to tell in a Republican presidential primary, and it's unclear why Perry's not telling it so aggressively himself.